Invention relates to methods and means for conveying electronically visual and graphically displayable user data over a server, and more particularly to electronically displayable forms containing user provided information over a server network.
Traditionally software applications and architectures that accommodate the form flow of electronic forms use server-side programs to determine the processing, or routing, of a given form. These approaches use data and tables stored separately from the electronic form itself to define a set of rules and routing guidelines. In these approaches the server-side program will interpret some data from the electronic form submitted from the client and then using these server-side routing guidelines will perform some task to process the electronic form. An example of this can be found in JetForms use of what are called roles which are defined using a special software application (separate from the electronic form) called the InTempo Role Builder (defined in white paper http://www.jetform.com/prodsol/whitepapers/intempo_ps.html). These approaches require that all possible routing scenarios are defined ahead of time and that all users within a user community have their roles within those scenarios defined. This pre-defined routing strategy requires a large amount of data that would prohibit inclusion in the electronic form that would be transmitted from one user to another over the server.
The invention permits a Self-Directed electronic form that can guide the user to appropriate routing based on data input on the form all without interaction with a server side application. As the user inputs data into the electronic form, displayed in a viewer (such as a Web browser) visual and non-visual programmatic elements in the form will change based on the data input and provide visual guidance to the user as to where the form should be routed. This Self-Directed electronic form uses the client machine""s processor to interpret input data on the electronic form and execute programmatic elements within the electronic form. Upon user completing the electronic form, the present invention provides a means to visually guide (without server interaction) the user, or submitter, of the electronic form to provide a server side application in preparing the form for the next user. The electronic form is then routed to the next user(s) via that server side application using electronic messaging to provide a link to the filled-in electronic form submitted by the previous user. The next user, or approver, then displays the electronic form in a viewer, such as a Web browser. The present invention generates in the approver""s view of the form appropriate visual elements corresponding with allowable actions of this subsequent viewer. The present invention also provides visual clues as to the next routing destination based on the electronics form current fill-in data, or based on any changes the approver makes to fill-in data, all without server interaction. This sequence continues until the electronics xe2x80x9cform flowxe2x80x9d is complete and an end point is reached.